Self-regulating- windmill



UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIOE.

ADDISON P. BROIVN, OF BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT.

SELF-REGULATING WINDMILL.

. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,156, dated July 3,1855; Reissued October 25,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ADDISON P. BROWN, ofBrattleboro, in the county of indham and State of Vermont, have inventeda new and Improved Self-Regulating lVindmill; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in three elements of difference fromother wind mills-namely, my mode of turning the fans edge-wise when thevelocity is too much increased; my mode of turning said fans edgewisewhen the wind suddenly strikes the wind mill even before it shallacquire its troublesome velocity; and my mode of gearing a shaft anddrum or other rotary motion to the mill without impeding the free actionof the vane or weathercock, or permitting the fans being presented tothe wind.

In the annexed drawings, A, is the turntable which supports thewind-mill and on which it freely turns from the effect of B, the vane orweathercock.

O, is the main shaft.

D, is a hub firmly fixed on the main shaft and neither sliding norturning upon it after Y being properly adjusted by a screw.

E, 1s the principal hub by which the fans are carried. It is allowed toslide on the main axis, but is prevented from turning on it, and thelatter is compelled to turn with this hub by a loose key and spline orslot.

F, is a spiral spring the force of which tends to separate the slidinghub E from the stationary hub D.

G and Gr are stilf bars of metal which connect by hinges at either end,the stationary hub D with H and H, thimbles which slide on I, the armswhich carry the fans.

J and J are hinges which clasp and turn on the thimbles H but are firmlyattached to K, the fans; L, the outermost hinge on each arm is heavybeing virtually a weight the centrifugal force of which will govern thefan. This outer hinge is also a thimble inclosing the arm and having init a helical slot with a pin in the arm, which turns the fan edge wisewhen the centrifugal form of the weight L is increased by anyacceleration.

M and M, are braces which extend from the arm I to N, a sliding hub onthe other side of the stationary hub D.

O, is a sliding washer pressed up against the hub M by means of P, aweight suspended from Q, a jointed sliding brace; (or from a bent lever)thus enabling the operator to reinforce the spiral spring F to anydesired amount by increasing the weight.

R, is a friction roller to secure the free motion of the sliding brace.

Any sudden impetus of the wind moves the two sliding hubs E and N,overcoming the spring F and lifting the weight P, and the bars G bymeans of their thimbles H push the fans K farther out upon theirrespective arms, while the helical slot and pin at L turns each fansimultaneously edgewise to the wind to an extent or degree proportionateto the force of the impetus. Any more gradual but still excessiveacceleration of the wind mill corrects itself by means of the samehelical slots at L. The weight of the fans K increased as much as may beneeded by the weight of the outer hinges, at L secures (in such a caseof acceleration) a centrifugal force which will slide the fans fartherout on the arms, and by means of the helical slots turn the fansedge-wise: In this latter case the bars Gr pull upon the thimbles H onwhich the inner hinge of each arm turns, and this pulling overcomes thespring F and lifts the weight P; and inasmuch as the thimbles H on eachof the arms are tied to the same hub D, a uniformity and concert intheir motion is secured.

To prevent the gearing causing any counteraction of the vane I gear themain shaft C to the working shaft S by means o-f an intermediate wheelT, the perpendicular axis of which coincides with that of the turn tableA, allowing the main shaft and its vertical wheel to act on one side ofthis contact wheel while the working shaft is geared to the oppositeside thereof, or rather' to the opposite side of a smaller wheel fixedon the same axis-so adjusting the relative size of these wheels thattheir opposite action shall balance each other, on either side of thecenter of the turn table and leave it unimpeded in its obedience to thevane. Inasmuch however' as the working shaft would at its upper end inthe turn table have an exclusive motion, I allow its lower end U toterminate in a short square key capable of standing in a central mortise2. The combination of Weights with the in a drum or other horizontalwheel which helical slots and pins, combined and oper- 10 does the Workin Jche building below. ating in the manner and or the purpose What IClaim as my invention and desire herein specified.

5 to secure by Letters Patent is as follows: ADDISON P. BROWN.

l. The helical slot and pin as a means of Witnesses:

governing the degree of Obliquity of the J. D. BRADLEY,

fans to the Wind. J. F. STEEN.

[FIRST PRINTED 1912.]

